Part 2 –The Mithi River Development and Pollution Control Project: A Tale of Escalating Costs and Questionable Decisions
A Rigged System to Block Competition.
So now about the Mithi development project. So just to rejog the memory of the readers, the Mithi project has been going on for the last 4-5 years and without doing anything, the cost has escalated from Rs. 300 crores to the current Rs. 2200 cr project. Also the overall arrangement has changed from dividing the work scope into 3 packages to a single large package.
Obviously this was done in the previous administration under the guidance of the super CM who ran his office from Nirmal at Nariman Point and then shifted his base to Dubai. This all was done hand in glove with the assistance of the bureaucrat who was earlier in the corporation and then paid a king’s ransom to be in a much lucrative post now & also the present incumbent.
The choice of the selected bidder changed from Megha and then thereafter to Ashoka-Akshay JV which was the probable choice of an Ex MP who was also the Ex standing committee chairman. But to their utter disappointment, one of largest and influential conglomerates also jumped in claiming ownership on this project as it has the largest redevelopment project in the vicinity of the Mithi River which is currently mired in controversy. So the current bid has been made to accommodate 3 partners out of which one partner need not have any experience. This was done to accommodate Lakshya Gupta who it seems has given quite a substantial advance but whose company doesn’t have any qualification or experience. So currently the company promoted by Lakshya Gupta only serves as a ‘dummy partner’.
If we analyze the performance of Ashoka Buildcon in the Poisar River rejuvenation project, it becomes abundantly clear that the company lacks both the technical expertise and financial stability required for such a complex project. The company has now acquired a reputation of name lending its credentials and then subletting work to companies like Akshay construction who apart from their financial prowess don’t get anything else to the table. And I frankly don’t think the bigger brother in the JV also has done any similar work in the past but our own reputed corporation is all set to award the work to this JV who don’t have any hands on experience of having done such complex project and that too for a price which is beyond unreasonable and that too at a time when MCGM faces financial challenges.
How the Project has been designed, which specifications have been manipulated and how the said project will land in the hands of those whom I have predicted will be revealed based on the outcome of the prebids final minutes.
So I hope, MCGM takes cognisance of my blog and opens those restrictive clauses which currently have been put to ensure that a cartel gets formed and Ashoka led JV along with Lakshaya Gupta becomes the preferred bidder.
Stay tuned for more revealing information in my further blogs.
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
